Avatar Buried Legends
by MyHands
Summary: Set in an alternate universe, where the Equalist revolution succeeded and the world broke off into separatism. Catherine, Will and their friends must escape persecution from a tyrannical government whilst hiding their bending abilities.
1. Chapter 1: Winter

A grainy voice echoed throughout the cold living room. Several propaganda photographs flashed up on the screen before the young adult and his mother; pictures of the war, people being butchered in the street by mancers; artist's rendering, most of them, as well as some reconstructions. Never any primary sources.

"Three hundred years ago, Planet Earth was immersed in a civil war between those who could manipulate the elements, and those who were living in fear of their tyranny. Every nation was on the brink of collapse as Geomancers, Aeromancers, Pyromancers and Hydromancers brought Governments to their knees through their unfair, dirty tactics. For too long people were held against their will to live a regime of slavery and torment. Advances in modern technology soon levelled the playing field, and the Mancers were eventually exterminated and a new, shining future was created. Advances in genetics have now allowed us to isolate and eradicate Mancer threats even before birth. So, citizens of Great Britain. Rest assured that your Government keeps you safe. And now, for our annual recording of the last Avatar's public execution."

Will didn't stay to watch. He could never make it past the part where the "avatar" is executed. Merely 5 years old this girl, a pyromancer, cut down for the whole world to see. It was sick. It was a witch hunt. They never even had solid proof that they were the avatar. They never do. "Catch 'em young. Kill 'em young. Protect the world!" is the slogan they might as well have forced down the throats of the populace. Most people thought it was wrong, and were too afraid to contest them. Then there were those who truly believed in the cause.

The worst part; being forced to watch it every year, every year without fail. It always left a bitter taste in his mouth.

But maybe that was just because he was a Mancer. A Mancer who hadn't been caught yet. His earliest memories were being taught to hide his talent in public, but to practice it in private. His parents always said "they do horrible things to you when you're caught. Unspeakable things." That was always incentive enough to keep it hidden. The prospect of death or worse kept the urges inside their cage. Will skulked upstairs into his room, his head hanging low and sullen. Even though it was compulsory by law to watch this, Will never did. He never made it further through the broadcast than this.

He sat on his bed and felt the soft quilt between his fingers. That always made him feel better. His mother always made sure to put clean sheets on the bed on this particular day too. Sometimes it softened the blow and made him feel safe. Most of the time it didn't. It was just habit for her now, he guessed. The youth checked his mobile phone – one unread message. From Catherine; "Meet me at the usual place in an hour. Received half an hour ago."

The gunshot sound from the TV downstairs signalled to Will that it was safe to go outside. After the execution, the showings were not compulsory, though most watched them anyway. He ran his hand through his hair; this had become a common habit for him now, something he'd developed in his early teens. He had never really analysed why, he just got on with it. He pulled a grey beanie hat over his overgrowing mop and threw on a grey trench coat. He laced his red converse sneakers up and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" asked his mother as he turned the key in the door.

"Just to see Catherine. I'll be back before midnight." Will responded as he twisted open the lock on the top of the door and unbolted the one by the handle. "Don't wait up, I'll let myself in."

"I hate it when you say that."

Will didn't respond, just walked on out into the night. He and Cathy met on this night every year. They both hated the annual screening, and always met afterwards to give each other some human company. Or inhuman company, as the governments would have them believe. Will buried his head in the collar of his trench coat as he walked through the deserted streets. No one really came out on this night, so it was easy to be recognised if you weren't properly covert. Sometimes the occasional frantic neighbour would recognise and tell the police, but as long as they weren't caught in the act of Mancing, nobody could ever prove anything. Even so, Will stayed vigilant.

Will's phone vibrated in his pocket, and he drew it out swiftly. The winter air was bitter on his hands, and he wished he'd worn gloves now as he opened up the message. 'Been held up. I'll be about an hour late. Fucking parents.' He sighed and pushed it back into his pocket, carrying on walking. "Maybe I'll get something to drink on the way there" he said to himself, hoping for some vodka at the corner shop. He patted his pockets down to check for his wallet; found it in the front pocket of his trench.

He walked into the shop and pulled off his hat, carefully shaking his hair back into place. Most places ran a "no face no service" policy these days. It was mostly in case people who bought volatile subjects decided to make a few bombs and go kill a few people – they could be traced back. The Government was too busy stopping 'Avatars' to prevent things like that happening. Will presented his citizen card and paid for the vodka, then made his way through the rest of the city.

Despite his talents, he always felt unsafe at night. It wasn't exactly like he could do anything if someone came at him with a gun, or a knife. There was CCTV everywhere and if he was caught mancing he'd be finished. So would his family, and probably Cathy too.

Will reached the abandoned block of flats and entered through an abandoned, smashed in window. There weren't any functioning lights, so he pulled out a lighter and flicked the clip. The small flame offered some insight. Then again, this was just another habit, he and Cathy had been coming here since they were both 12, and they knew the structure like the back of their hand. He began to ascend the stairs to the top floor; there were about 8 floors. It wasn't necessarily high, but it was quiet and all the security cameras had been deactivated in this area. The flat block was very damp and musty – it had been abandoned for a while. A few years ago a group of underground Mancers were found hiding here. The Government relentlessly purged everyone in the building, and since then nobody had been allowed to live there.

There were still signs of forced entry ; the smashed windows, the doors off their frames and replaced with steel shutters, glass on the floor. The only thing the two friends had done was put a stuffed toy rabbit onto the reception desk that they had found on the floor when they first found the place. They cleaned the bloodstains off it too. It only felt respectful, to whoever it used to belong to. To start with they used to talk about how old the child was who used to play with it, how old they would be now. And whether they were purged as a Mancer, or 'guilty for hiding renegades'. That was usually the popular one.

Once he reached the top, he unscrewed the cap from the bottle of vodka. He pressed the lip of the bottle against his mouth and tipped his neck backwards and forwards quickly. A quick slip of the liquid ran down his throat, burning and causing him to wince. Straight vodka was never nice, but it would dull the pain of the execution video for now. Will sat on the ledge of the stone block of flats watching the streets; dully lit by the fading street lights. They went off after 6pm in the winter; that made things easier for criminals, but apparently the Government needed to save money. Naturally, none of the army funding had been cut in three hundred years. Quite the opposite; more and more money was constantly being pumped in at the cost of the everyday person. It made most people sick, but again they were too terrified to speak out. A poor life was better than no life, apparently.

Two hours passed on the roof, and it had begun to snow. No word from Cathy, nothing. His phone hadn't sounded; he had even checked it religiously despite knowing that he would hear an incoming message. Will became worried. Cathy was never late. And when she was, she always messaged beforehand. Something wasn't right. Will stood at the edge of roof and rubbed his hands together. In the distance he could make out small flashes of light. He winced his eyes and noticed they were drawing closer, down an alley coming up to the block. The closer it got, the brighter it was. It was only when a soldier flew out from the alleyway on his back, perpetuated by a jet of fire that he knew what was happening.

There was a pyromancer fighting off an army abduction.

Will's heart sank as he saw Cathy emerge from the alley, her back to the flats, punching balls of fire wildly in front of her.


	2. Chapter 2: Agni Kai

Will snapped himself out of his daze and pulled himself together. His friend was in trouble, he was going to help her. The path was illuminated by the flames shooting from the desperate girl, appearing from the height of the flat blocks as a flickering candle. And that candle was about to go out. Will screwed the cap back onto the vodka bottle and took a few steps back. He composed himself, took a few deep breaths and ran towards the end of the block of flats. The bitter wind slapped him across the face as he built up his momentum. Holding his breath, he leapt off the side of the building and plummeted towards the pavement. He bent his legs as gravity pulled him towards the ground below. His speed rocketed as he plummeted, and his breath became short. He'd never tried this before; it was going to be interesting.

'Calm yourself down.' He repeated in is head, over and over. He didn't even know if this was going to work, but if he intervened a different way he'd just be killed anyway. The pavement became closer and closer, wider and wider, flatter and flatter. Will could feel the energy building up from his descent, and focused it into his feet. This was it. No second guessing.

The geomancer hit the ground with great force. As the energy from his feet was forced into the ground, a shockwave erupted from the landing site and pulsed its way across the street floor. Several of the soldiers collapsed over, unable to keep their footing from the surprise attack. A few fell straight onto their backs; Will saw one fall to the side and crack his head against a wall of the alley. He wasn't getting back up any time soon. The adrenaline took over, and as Will charged out of the metre deep crater he raised his arms, causing a pillar of earth to break through the pavement and create a barrier between Catherine and the soldiers. The pyromancer had been knocked on her feet as well, but Will grabbed her arm and pulled her up as quickly as his body would allow. Their eyes met for a brief moment before they both retreated back into the flat block. The earth had cracked from the impact; there was no way the government would be able to cover this one up.

"Cathy! Cocktail!" Will shouted as he tossed the bottle of vodka forward at the door. Cathy punched forward and released a fast moving fireball towards the chained door of the flat block. The fireball hit the vodka bottle, and the strength of the explosion blew the door straight off its hinges, and it collapsed in a singed heap on the dusty marble flooring. The two friends didn't stop running as they entered the neglected flats, and headed straight for the fire exit. Will forced the door open as he charged into it with his shoulder, there was a loud clack as the rusty hinges groaned against the power of the hit. Stood before the mancers was a whole army unit, led by a soldier in a blue camouflage suit. Apparently it wasn't that easy to escape the army. The leader of the army unit took a step forward with his hands behind his back. He looked maybe in his mid-twenties, and not very confident at all. His breath was quick as he stepped forward, advancing towards the two teenagers who were now in very big trouble.

"My name is Captain Aquis. I have been sent to reprimand Catherine Foster for her clear and illegal assault of a civilian using forbidden pyromancing techniques. And now I will also reprimand you," the captain's gaze shifted to Will; he glowered into his eyes, "as both an accomplice and for causing irrevocable criminal damage to this street. As a hydromancing captain of the government's army I am arresting you both," Catherine's eyes widened. She'd found an exit clause. Bingo. "You do not have to say anything but it may harm your defence and anything you do mention may be given in-"

Catherine didn't let him finish. She'd heard enough. They were in enough trouble anyway, in her mind there was only one way to solve this. "I call upon the Agni Kai act. William and I challenge you to a fight. And if we win, you let us go and do not follow us." The girl was now burning with confidence, her lips turning up into an arrogant smile and her eyes narrowing. "If we lose, we'll go with you." There was a murmuring amongst the soldiers behind their captains. Several of them nudged each other and whispered in their peer's ears. This was probably the most exciting thing they'd seen in their entire time of service to the army. Things like this didn't happen every day. Things like this never happened. Will turned his head slightly and looked at Cathy out from the corner of his eye. 'How on earth did she find something like that?' he asked himself.

The Captain calmed himself down. "I accept your challenge. It seems I don't have a choice. You're a clever girl, Catherine. I don't know where you learned about that act but it's not exactly common knowledge." He stepped forward through the broken door into the flat block, pointing two fingers indicating the two challengers to enter with him. "Not a single guard is to enter this block. No matter what happens. Do you understand me?" There was a resounding and simultaneous response of 'Yes, Sir!' from the soldiers. Aquis proceeded into the block, flipping a light switch as he entered.

"Told you the light switches would still work." Cathy teased as she followed their opponent into the now illuminated entrance hall. Aquis stopped and turned to face the two youths, cracking his knuckles and his neck and limbering his shoulders. Cathy stood with her feet apart and her left fist forward in front of her right. Her playful manner disintegrated; this was serious. This was a fight for freedom. Will's breathing slowed as he tried to calm himself. He'd never fought anyone this way before; or at all really. His only experience with fighting was sparring with his partner. The captain stared down his opponents, waiting for them to make the first move. He looked prepared, ready to take them down. He was looking at them like they were a meal. The tension was broken as Cathy thrust her right fist forward, shooting a thin bullet of flame at the captain. He dodged to the left and raised his arms towards the ceiling, forcing a thick jet of water to burst through the floor; 'That's why he was waiting for us to attack' thought Will, 'he was looking for water in the pipes.'

The captain's figure twisted as he retracted his extended pose and pirouetted on his right foot. The huge jet of water rushed from behind him, over his head and towards Will. The geomancer bent his arms and raised them from waist to shoulder height, pulling up a thick pillar of earth before him. The water jet collided into the barrier and spread out to the sides. Catherine sent a flurry of punches, ejecting balls of flame at her target who backflipped and pulled more water off the lightly flooding interior of the flats. The water froze into a thin sheet of ice which countered the first two fire balls, but was shattered by the third, resulting in the destruction of both the ice sheet and the projectile. Will punched the earth barrier, shooting forward a chunk of rock heading for the torso of the captain. The hydromancer rolled to his right, firing small bullets of water which froze into tiny ice needles towards Catherine who tried to run out of their line of fire but was struck in the thigh by three. She grimaced in pain as she ripped them out, a thin layer of blood staining her fingers. She tossed the needles onto the ground and extended both of her arms.

"These are my favourite jeans!" She yelled, half angry, half joking. She gathered the flames around her hands and stepped forward on her left foot. The angry pyromancer knelt forward and brought her hands together at her front, shooting a continuous stream of flames towards their opponent. Aquis' hands criss-crossed as a shield of water formed rapidly around him. As the stream of flames collided with the shield steam from the collision filled the room. Will lifted a chunk of the marble flooring in front of him and tossed it towards the shield; the marble rocket passed straight through the delicate water shield and impacted on the captain's left hip, almost effortlessly forcing him out of his shield. Will dropped to his knees and placed his palms flat on the damp flooring. A small arch extended over each of the hydromancer's hands, locking them into the ground. He struggled onto all fours against the entrapment and tried to pull himself free to no avail.

The marble flooring, controlled by Will, began to creep its way up the body of the captain, first arching over his legs, pushing his thighs into the ground. From there his torso and his shoulders until he was lying face down in the ground with nothing but his head sticking out from the surface. He was grunting and yelling obscenities at the two victors. "Okay, okay you win! Let me out of this and you can go! Just get me out!"

Will took a deep breath and closed his eyes. A fissure cracked the flooring from his hand to the marble casing over their opponent, splitting it right down the centre and then splitting off. The hydromancer pushed himself to his feet, brushing the rubble from his uniform as he did so. His beret had fallen off and his shaggy dark hair was thick with specs of earth-dust. "Go through the back door. You've won for now, but I'd leave if I were you. Take your families and go. Just because I won't pursue you it doesn't mean the rest of the army and the police force won't. You've been granted a reprieve, not immunity. Now get out. GO!" He yelled. The two victors nodded and advanced towards the back exit of the flat block.

The soldiers whispered amongst themselves as the two mancers emerged from the flat block, having bested their captain. A few of them elbowed their fellow soldiers with satisfied looks on their faces, and a few even passed money to each other. "Have they been betting on who would win?" Will whispered to Catherine as they turned a corner into an alleyway in order to stop and catch their breath.

"Probably. They're probably going to get a new captain now. They probably enjoyed watching a group of mancers slug it out and beat the shit out of each other, it's not something you see every day, even as a shoulder." The wounded pyromancer sighed as she pulled out a packet of cigarettes. "Only two left, shit." She pulled them both out of the carton and tossed it on the ground empty. Cathy passed one to Will and put the other in her mouth, then generated a small flame from her finger which both used to light the cigarettes. Both took a drag on their cigarettes and exhaled deeply, a wave of relief washed over them both; even if it was superficial.

They stood in silence as they finished their cigarettes, pulled up their hoods and then disappeared into the night, heading back to Will's home.

Commander Flynn sat at her desk, her office lit by nothing but a few candles. There was a porcelain cup on the corner of her desk containing a few dregs of coffee, and she had a cigarette in her hand. She took a drag and tapped the ash onto the floor. She stubbed it out on the table and dropped it into the cup.

"Your report, Captain Aquis." She demanded. "I won't ask you again, what happened and where is the fugitive?"

"Well Ma'am, you see…"

"Spit it out, captain. I'm an incredibly busy woman. I do not have all day to listen to your trifles. Where is the fugitive."

Aquis' adam's apple sank and raised as he swallowed saliva, trying to clear his dry throat. He was shaking mildly and sweating profusely. "She escaped ma'am."

The Commander slammed her fist on the table, causing Aquis to flinch slightly. He'd seen her angry before; not at him though. People died when she was angry. She rose to her feet and took a steady walk towards her captain. She stopped directly in front of him and stared up into his eyes as if she was going to tear out his very soul. "And tell me, Captain." There was disdain in the last word, "How did she escape?"

"She knew about the Agni Kai act. There was nothing I could do, if we arrested her and that came up in court I could lose my job." He tried to sound confident, but he wasn't. In reality, the captain was absolutely terrified, his muscles now convulsed as he trembled and it had become an effort for him to just stand upright. "And it wasn't just that, she had an accomplice, a geomancer. Together they defeated me in an Agni Kai and I had to let them leave."

Flynn sighed. "Why didn't you just kill them?" She sighed again. "Get out of my sight, you have been deemed as sympathetic to mancer fugitives. Somebody will arrive tomorrow to replace you. It's a shame. I liked you." As the captain turned to leave the office, Commander Flynn changed her mind. "In fact, I'll save the executioner the trouble." The commander tilted her head to the side and pointed two fingers at her disappointment of a captain. "Just die." She exclaimed as a bolt of lightning shot from her fingers straight through the skull of the captain. He yelled in pain as his muscles tightened, and then her office was silent again.

The Commander returned to her desk and pushed a button on her phone before lifting it to her ear lazily. "Hello, Maria, it's Commander Flynn. Could you please send a cleaner or two to my office, Captain Aquis had an accident, thank you." She hung up, lent back in her chair and rested her thick, steel toe capped boots on her table. "What a mess."


	3. Chapter 3: Uprooted

Will's mother sat back into the sofa. Her eyelids were heavy and she could feel herself drifting off, but she refused to go to bed until her son turned up as she always did. She pressed the central button on her TV remote and examined the time; one-fifteen a.m. He was usually home by now. Panic attempted to spirit away her mind, but she refused to let it take her completely. She blew on the hot tea she was cradling and sighed. Her hand was beginning to warm up, so she took a sip and placed it gently on the coaster next to her. There was nothing particularly interesting playing through the TV, just the omnibus soap catch ups, the worried mom wasn't paying an awful lot attention to it. She simply stared blankly at the screen. The woman gave up any hope of a domestic, normal life when she discovered her hydromancing, and gave birth to a geomancer. Before long, the night had taken her. Her head was bowed, her eyes were closed and her breathing was deep.

She didn't know how long she'd lay there before she heard the door burst open. She leapt up, ready to give her son a lecture at his late return. Worry set in as she heard the groaning, and her pace quickened through the tight hallway. Stood before her was not just her son, covered in snow and late as usual, but also his friend Cathy. Will's eyes were wide and panicked and he was somewhat hunched forward with the girl's arm wrapped around his neck. She was wincing in pain, grasping a bleeding wound on her thigh. The shiny red liquid seemed to be bleeding through at a steady pace, and she was pale. Her eyes couldn't seem to focus on anything in particular; they seemed to be almost rolling back inside her head.

"Get her on the couch, lay her flat and prop her leg up to stop the bleeding." Will's mom let out in a somewhat accusatory tone. They'd brought each other back in all sorts of states, practicing mancing. But this didn't look to her like a practicing wound. She followed the kids through the hallway, and instead of turning right into the sitting room instead walked into the kitchen. She steadied her breathing and emptied the washing up bowl into the sink, there was a clanking as the dishes and mugs hit the reflective silver sink but cutlery was hardly important right now. She twisted the cold tap on and the water gushed into the bowl, rinsed it and flowed back into the basin. The mother then let the bowl fill up to the brim with ice-cold water. Will's Mom pulled her sleeves up and grabbed the bowl from each side, carrying it into the living room.

The bowl was placed crudely on the ground with some water splashing onto the navy-coloured carpet. The hydromancer drove her hands into the liquid and pulled them out rapidly; the water coated her hands in a thick aqueous layer. She placed her hands on Catherine's bleeding thigh and closed her eyes. "Hmm. This one's pretty bad. The main artery supplying blood to the muscles in your leg has punctured. It's nothing I can't fix, but I just wish you'd gotten here sooner. She's lost a lot of blood." Will's Mom massaged her hands over the air above the wound on Cathy's thigh, the suspended water emitting an iridescent blue glow. She turned her attention to Will. "What happened out there? What did you do? Don't lie to me William. This wasn't done by geomancing. Were you attacked? Mugged?"

"I don't really know what happened…" he replied with, to the dissatisfaction of his interrogator. "I saw Cathy being attacked by troops, so I helped her out, and we ended up fighting a hydromancer for our freedom. He hit her in the thigh with knives made from ice…" His mother was gawping at her son in disbelief.

"Where did all of this happen?" She yelled at him in disbelief.

"In the old quarter of town, in that abandoned flat block…"

"You manced in public? Did they follow you back?" the tension in the room was rising, she couldn't believe her son had been so stupid.

"I had to, to protect Cathy! We got away safe, Cathy called on something called the Agni Kai, they let us go."

The atmosphere became icy; Will's mother avoided eye contact with him, instead focusing her attention on the open wound she was knitting with water. It was hard for her to look at her son right now, even though she hadn't heard the full story. She was so angry with him. She felt the blood vessel closing its gaps and manipulated the water back into the empty bowl beside her. She picked it up, rose to her feet, and exited the room swiftly.

Will held the hand of his friend who had seemed to be much calmer after the treatment. Her eyes flickered open and closed, she must have been exhausted after the night they'd had. And they both had to go into college tomorrow. Will turned his head to the window, it was pitch black outside, the street lights had been turned off as they often were at this time. His eyes were hanging heavy as well, to the point it was difficult for him to stay awake. The boy's head was like a tornado of thoughts and worries, about what was going to happen next, and what had already happened, and how long it would be before they came for them again. For him again. He could hear the running water of the tap in the kitchen, and angry mumblings from his mother. The gravity of the situation finally hit him, the army would come back for him. And they wouldn't just take him. They'd take his mother, and everyone on the street, and Cathy's family too. She had a younger sister, and both her parents were still alive. What a mess.

"Will get Cathy up to your bed, you can sleep on the couch…" Echoed Will's Mom's voice throughout the hallway. As she turned into the living room and saw the two sleeping adolescents, she lent on the door frame, closed her eyes and sighed. She thought of moving them, but decided it was best to just leave them as they were. They would be exhausted after what had happened, but things were going to change. The woman ran her fingers through her greasy dark brown bob-haircut and turned back into the corridor. She decided it was best to get as much sleep as she could; she had a lot of packing to do tomorrow.

"And so when the bonds between two glucose molecules are broken, this is known as a hydrolysis reaction and produces an H2O molecule…" Will was already bored to death of his biology lecture. The teacher's voice was flat and monotone, and the last few months had been painfully slow. The geomancer wasn't the most intelligent guy around, but he could work faster than 'this oaf' could teach him. His mind was still playing up, he was getting flash backs of the night before, the fight, running away from the soldiers.

Cathy passing out.

He didn't want to go into college, but his Mom forced him. They had to pretend that everything was normal. They had to act naturally. 'Well I'm bored just as much as usual' the teenager thought to himself. Nothing abnormal about that; a kid bored in college. How cliché. The bell rang, signalling the end of the lecture (and Will's torture) and he fled the room in what seemed quicker a manner than his escape the previous night. Will's eyes still hung heavily, he hadn't slept particularly well upright on the sofa, but at least Cathy had been okay. She was obviously a no show, but then again she never showed up, so that was nothing unusual either.

The geomancer headed towards the library, where he would spend the next hour of his life, or so he thought. As he settled down with a psychology textbook and a blank sheet of note-paper in front of him, his phone vibrated on the table. There was an incessant shushing from the librarian, to which he mouthed sorry and picked up his phone, half-heartedly staring at the screen. The message was from his mother, and read 'Don't worry Billy, everything is going to be fine. Not leaving now, see you later tonight. Love mummy. X" the message struck him as odd as soon he read the name Billy; his mother never called him that. Will packed his things into his bag and made a swift exist from the library, choosing to ignore the scowling of the librarian as he knocked over her cup of tea with his bag. Partially on purpose.

Will's phone rang again. He answered it quickly, something was definitely wrong. "Hello, William." His fears were confirmed; that wasn't his mother's voice on the other end of the phone. It sounded like a young woman, and her tone was very serious. "Now I need you to do some things for me. Firstly, I need you to leave college without making a scene." The teenager was in shock; his eyes wide open and his pupils dilated. Beads of sweat formed under his fringe, and his mouth was partially open. He was paralysed with fear. "William, I would very much like you to confirm this. Can you please say something to me?" again with the serious tone. It was impossible for him to make out what was going on. They sounded official. They sounded contrived.

"Wh-Who are you?" he managed to stutter out into the mic. The voice simply sighed.

"We will meet soon enough. Now, get out of college and go to the train station. I will give you your next instruction once you are there. And then you will find out just who I am." A flat tone was emitted through the speaker, indicating the person had hung up. Will closed his eyes and tried to control his breathing, then opened them and padded across the grass towards the pavement. Nobody said anything to him as he jumped the small, green metal fence and outside of the college boundaries. This was going eerily smoothly. Normally an attendant was waiting to drag the students back into the college.

The terrified youth walked with his head down; the train station was only a five minute walk. He would have ran, but he didn't want to draw attention to himself any more than he already had. The sky was dark and the air was bitter with cold; Will's breath condensed into a light mist as he breathed out. He focused on this, watching the small clouds leaving his mouth as he exhaled. He pulled out a cigarette from the packet in his right jean and lit it, savouring the sour taste of the nicotine. The anxious feeling in his chest dissipated slightly, but it was still there. Still nagging. Wondering what the hell was going on with his mother. Was that text a warning telling him to go home? Will took systematic drags on his cigarette, burning down the nicotine stick quicker than usual. He dropped it on the floor as he finished it, and stubbed it out with the toe of his boot.

As he turned the corner behind the superstore, Will could vaguely make out two figures stood in front of the glass doors leading into the train station. One was a young woman he didn't recognise, most probably the one who had called his phone. The second was his mother; head down, hands tied behind her back. The woman flicked a cigarette from her hand onto the floor and stood up straight. She was garbed in a black trousers and a black shirt, with a green camouflage body-warmer hanging from her shoulders and covering her breasts. Steel toe-capped boots protected her feet, and her light blonde hair was tied back into a short pony tail. She had a gun in a holster on her right leg, and a baton hung from her belt.

"Your mother was been arrested for the crimes of being a hydromancer, whilst concealing a geomancer and a pyromancer from officials. You are charged with being a geomancer and for resisting arrest. You are both coming to the army centre with me where you will be detained for questioning and to await trial." She spat onto the ground. Will moved his feet apart and stood with his fists forward. "And don't even think about fighting back, or I'll kill you and your mother before you've even tossed a pebble at me." She patted the gun in its holster. 'Damn she's good.' Will whispered to himself. Letting out a sigh of defeat he dropped his stance, pandering forward with his arms out in front of him, submitting to arrest. The young woman pulled a pair of handcuffs out from the back of her belt and advanced towards Will, ready to encapsulate him into her custody. The geomancer winced as the first link went around his wrist; the fit was tight, and the friction between his bare wrist and the metal handcuffs caused his skin to turn red. Will closed his eyes in submission as he waited for the second link to close around his left wrist and steal his freedom.

From behind his eyes, Will could not see what happened next. But he felt the heat of the attack, and he felt the fire dissipate just before it hit his face. Bravely, he opened his eyes. The woman was mancing a shell of air around both her and Will, and a jet of fire was being projected onto the shell. Her arms were moving like lightning, jolting randomly and fiercely as she attempted to keep the barrier between her and the fire. The geomancer took his opportunity while the woman was distracted, flicking his hand up in a quick jolt, causing the earth to rise beneath his captor rapidly and without warning. She was thrown wildly into the air, where she was hit in the stomach by a dense whip of water – extending from Will's mother's arm. She must have utilized the chance to break through her handcuffs and mance the snow whilst the official wasn't looking.

Cathy shook Will as she grabbed his shoulders and stared into his eyes, screaming "are you okay? Snap out of it!" The geomancer managed a nod and turned to face the second army official the pair had assaulted.

"Don't you know who I am? You all just made a big mistake! I am Commander Flynn of the Central Army! And now you're all going to die!" Screamed the scorned aeromancer as she slowly landed herself onto the snowy pavement, cushioned by a platform of air. She glared at the three united mancers, who stared back, all stood in an offensive stance, ready to strike.


	4. Chapter 4: Flynn

A crowd had gathered, staring out through the windows of the train station at the mancers slugging it out. That was something nobody saw every day, usually the raids were in the dark and quiet of the night when nobody was around. When everyone was too terrified to leave their houses.

A chunk of earth was rocketed forward towards the Commander's head. She took a step to her left and pirouetted on her foot. Swinging her arms forward in a semi-circular motion, the aeromancer sent forward a blade of wind which sliced straight through the pillar Will raised to defend himself, pushing him onto his back. Cathy retaliated with a close combat jab with a fire-coated hand aimed straight at Flynn's head, which she ducked under and jabbed her assailant in the stomach, flinging her backwards and rolling her on the ground from the force of the wind that followed. Will's mother's hands were whipping around in a flurry as she lashed at the Commander with the tentacles of the octopus form surrounding her, but to no avail. This was one quick witted woman.

Flynn somersaulted over a ball of fire aimed at her feet and slammed her hands into the floor. A wave of wind spread from the impact in every direction, knocking all three civilians off their feet. The now adrenaline-fueled soldier compressed air into a ball between her hands and tossed it towards the three now lined up brawlers. The ball exploded in Will's mom's face and spread the three in different directions – Cathy to the left, Will to the right and his mom backwards. Her back slammed against a steel streetlight and she collapsed to the floor, the water surrounding her now showering her and her eyes closed; unconscious. Will could feel a fire inside him, burning for revenge. He fell onto the ground on his hands and knees, closing his eyes and feeling the concrete beneath him.

The cold earth began to wrap itself around his fingers, then his hands and arms. It covered his torso, his legs and finally his neck and face. He stood tall, concentrating, feeling the earth move with his joints. Feeling the earth as part of him. He charged towards Flynn, who had been taken somewhat surprised by the advanced master of geomancing she'd just been presented with. Perhaps she was wrong to overestimate them. 'Oh well,' she thought to herself as she sent forward a blast of air towards the armoured teenager now charging at her. Bits of rock chipped from the suit, but Will remained encased inside. She grunted to herself and rolled to her side as he came straight at her. He charged straight past her and into a wall, leaving huge cracks with his raised rock fists. 'He hasn't got the sight part of this down yet really has he?' she laughed to herself. She sent several punches of wind at him and battered him into the wall, leaving him unable to move. Finally, she turned her attention to the reason she was out here in the first place.

Catherine.

She ducked and weaved as balls of fire were sent flying towards her head, quickly dashing towards her opponent. Flynn swept her legs beneath her target's in an attempt to knock her off balance, but she jumped backwards and punched a fireball at the floor-bound commander. In defence, the aeromancer thickened the air around her quickly and pulled it across her body, wrapping her in a cocoon of dense air which refracted the fireball. There was screaming as the projectile smashed a window, causing glass to shatter into and out of the station ticket office. Flynn pushed herself off the ground with her hands and stared down her opponent. This girl was no novice. She'd been trained by someone good. She examined Cathy as they stood in fighting stance facing each other. She closed her eyes and chuckled quietly to herself when she noticed the bracelet her target was wearing: a green bangle with a single, ornate lotus carved onto it. Suddenly it made sense.

No matter. Flynn raised her left arm and swept it down in a circular motion, then did the same with her left, followed by a repetition with her left. Sparks began to dance around the tips of her fingers as she gathered the static electricity within the air. She smirked as she looked up at her opponent.

"Checkmate." She said aloud. She pointed two fingers at Cathy and fired a stream of electricity towards her foe.

As Will's mom came to, the first sight she was given was the image of her son encased in rock armour, battered into a wall. She ran over to him, dragging a huge trail of water behind her. She wrapped the water around her arms and slugged them forward; the two tentacles of water slammed hard into the wall, knocking it through and releasing her son from his entrapment. She threw water over him to remove the rubble from his clothes (which she had just ironed) and pulled it off to dry him. He pulled himself up using the protruding remnants of the wall and shook his face. "Thanks Mom." He said quickly as his focus turned to the fight ensuing between Cathy. Fire and wind was tossed throughout the immediate atmosphere, and he had to duck as a fireball was bounced off a wind shield towards his head, allowing it to smash a window instead.

The Commander hadn't noticed that he was up yet, so he froze still when the two stopped and stared each other down. Will's pupil's dilated as Flynn began to wave her arms around in circles, and his breathing became short when he caught the sparks gathering around her fingertips. She wasn't trying to arrest them anymore. She was going to kill them. She was going to kill Cathy. Will ran as quickly as he could, pulling chunks of concrete from the ground and flinging them towards Flynn in desperation. He wasn't going to make it, he wasn't going to get her in time. In a last ditch attempt he punched the ground as hard as he could, emitting a pulse of energy and moving his will through the earth. A column shot out of the ground at an angle, aiming straight for Flynn's back.

As the first projectile flew past Flynn's head, narrowly missing her, her target changed. She blasted a shot of air into Cathy's chest and sent her flying through the air at a rapid speed before crashing into a parked car and slinking to the floor. Next, she pivoted on her right foot at one-hundred and eighty degrees and jabbed her pointed, electrified fingers into the stone column pushing out of the earth in front of her. The electricity channelled throughout the column and it cracked apart before it could touch her. The Commander secured her hat onto her head and brushed the stray hair out of her face. "Now I'm really pissed off!" she yelled as she defended herself against the rock blasts heading straight for her. From a stretched out hand she blasted air strong enough to disintegrate the rocks before they could even touch her. Finally Flynn unleashed a gale from a kick of her right leg, the air so dense it reflected the rocks back at their source. Will was smacked in the temple by his own weapon and was flung onto the concrete flooring. A stream of blood flowed down his cheek.

Flynn slowly paced towards her victim, standing over him and beginning to generate lightning without motion, out of anger. "Don't you get it? You can't defeat me. You're going to be executed for fighting back. I will administer your punishment right here. Say goodnight, William." This time, Will stared into the eyes of the Commander as she prepared her punishment, she pointed her fingers between his eyes and the sparks flew.

But they never reached his head. It was hard for the Geomancer to make out what had gone on next, the hit to his head had made him dazed and nauseous, and it was a struggle to just keep his eyes open. Everything was blurry, but there was no extra pain. The world was moving too quickly for him to process; one moment Flynn was standing over him, the next her whole body was encased in solid ice from head to toe. Things began to flash. He heard voices, his mothers, Cathy's, and some he didn't know. He felt the cold steel wire wrap around his torso and pull him across the floor into the cold, armoured arms of a stranger. He felt the chill as he was placed in the back of a truck.

And he felt the tear trickle down his face as he saw the lightning bolt shoot straight through his mother's heart, followed by the closing of the truck doors.


	5. Chapter 5: Haven

The van jolted from side to side in its intense speed, throwing the passengers hiding inside from side to side, onto the floor and against the hard walls. Will's senses were still unstable; every now and then he would get a glimpse of the poorly lit interior of their vehicle, the faint metal smell and taste of the blood still dripping from the wound on his temple. Images of the fight flashed through his head, being struck to the head, Cathy flying into the walls, the metal wire wrapping around his stomach. Then everything was silenced by the cold embrace of unconsciousness, where the dreams were almost as painful as the reality. Will's daze was only broken as the strong sunlight accompanied by the winter chill burst through the double doors of the van as they were opened from the outside. Cathy held his hand as tightly as she could through the sweat, her grip remained as he was carried out of the vehicle, a stranger resting Will on his strong shoulders.

It took a while for Will's eyes to adjust to the light, but he soon realised he was in unfamiliar surroundings. Due to his ailing he hadn't been able to guess how long the journey had been; it could have been an hour, it could have been a week. He plodded forward, with his weight rested between Cathy and the other he could just about walk. He was led into an elevator, the doors shut behind him and those accompanying him and the machine began its descent. The artificial light was kinder to his eyes, and his mind could process more information through the lessened throbbing of his head. The blood was no longer trickling down his cheek, and Will thought that perhaps he'd had medical attention from one of the strangers in the van with him.

Aside from him and Cathy, there were three others: the man who was helping him to walk, who was coated in what seemed like a skin of grey metal armour; a shorter, curvaceous woman who had remained silent the entire journey from what he could remember; a final man who stood fairly tall, donning a strange robe with alternating patterns of blue and white and a white lotus embroidered onto the chest. This man was juggling an orb of water from hand to hand, and Will concluded this was the one that had stopped the bleeding. He would ask (and thank) later, when he could control his thoughts long enough to utter a sentence. The descent in the lift was making the Geomancer feel nauseous again but he stopped himself as best he could from vomiting. He wasn't sure if he had already done so, but his stomach felt empty. He could murder a hot meal.

The lift came to a stop and the doors opened after the generic 'doors opening' voice was played. After they'd stepped out Will was allowed to lean against the wall for a while to catch himself up. Will wiped his face with his free arm, his forehead was damp with sweat and he could feel that his temple was bruised. He could open his eyes all the way now, and he took a moment to absorb their new location. The walls were crude earth that were somewhat reminiscent of a rabbit's burrow, attached to the earthen ceiling were electronic light-beams, with the wires flowing from light to light and further into the burrow. Some attempt had been made to make the floor more habitable, it was coated in concrete slab hexagons which were lazily slopped into a pattern. They looked worn, so perhaps this was a very old hideout.

Silence was broken by the armour-coated man, who spoke with a slight grin whilst staring at Will with expressionless emerald eyes. "We got to you just in time it seems. Another second and you would probably be on your way to the Mancer-camp on the south coast." He took a moment to stretch before holding a hand out to Will, "My name's Lea. Lea Beifong, pleased to make your acquaintance, Will." Will shook his hand and was met with a firm grip.

Next the smaller woman stepped forward. She looked slightly older than Lea, perhaps in her late twenties or early thirties. A few shallow laughter lines were emerging from her eyes, and she smiled at Will warmly. "My name is Master Ray, I'm the head of rescue operations for this group. I am glad we managed to find you both in time." She bowed before continuing "This is Kai, he is the healer responsible for tending to your wounds on the way here. Would you please follow us? There is much to discuss." Cathy and Will nodded simultaneously. Will pushed himself off the wall and was offered Lea's shoulder to lean on, but kindly refused, insisting that he could walk on his own.

Both of the fugitives followed the others through the warren which seemed to bend and wind more than a crazy straw. It was a good ten minutes walking in near silence before they reached a heavy steel blast door that stood strong before them. "Lea, if you would?" Ray requested, Lea nodded. He stepped forward and cracked his knuckles before placing his hands flat on the door. He seemed to bury his fingers into the door, and with a great screech the door was pulled open before him. Will's mouth dropped in awe, he'd never experienced something like that before. Was it a new mancing type?

"How did you do that?!" Will exclaimed, forgetting his manners and sounding somewhat accusatory. "Are you a metal mancer or something?"

Lea only laughed before responding shrewdly with "Firstly, it's called metalbending, and secondly, yes I am, but it's a skill available to earthbenders with correct discipline. You might even be able to do it one day. Now go ahead, I'll close the blast door behind us."

Compared to the spectacle that appeared before the group, the metal bending seemed like nothing, and it took the pair's breath away. They had been brought to an underground city, unlike anything they had ever seen. The ceiling expanded maybe three hundred feet, and the walls switched from crude earth into a shiny metal coat. Giant metal tubes had been erected from the floor to the roof, with windows dotted every few metres. Stood in the middle of all of this was a great temple, it looked ancient and slightly out of place compared to the rest of the city, which looked so modern it was almost futuristic. The pair were dizzy with excitement and amazement.

"Welcome to the Benders Haven! Follow me, please." Ray said, finally breaking their gawping, and so they did. As they advanced through the city, towards the temple stood tall in the middle, they were overcome with emotion. There were children playing in the streets, laughing, playing and mancing. They saw one woman hanging out her washing on a line, pulling all the water from the clothes and putting them back into the basket, and another splashing her husband with a mischievous look painted onto her face. Will couldn't help but feel like he was still asleep in the van.

They finally arrived at the temple door, and it was even more spectacular up close. It stood extremely tall, so tall that Will and Cathy both felt like insects as they came to the gargantuan doors. Master Ray stomped her foot onto the ground and twisted it on a forty-five degree angle, causing a small square of the huge doors to twist open, through which the group advanced. Master Kai ushered them into a room on the eastern side of the table, before bowing to them and leaving to attend to his own duties (which he did not seem overly enthusiastic about, Cathy pointed out). The four of them sat around a glass table. Lea, having become lazy, slunk back into his chair and rested his bare feet onto the table which received a scornful look from Ray, but for whatever reason she kept quiet about it, perhaps she was used to it.

"I would just like to say, I am deeply sorry that we did not come soon enough to rescue your mother Will." Will looked down at his feet through the table, shook his head and opened his mouth to ask a question, but he was fearful of the answer. He still received it however. "I'm afraid… she did not survive her injuries, despite out best efforts." The Geomancer lifted his head up quickly, his eyes bursting with sorrow and rage. He slowed his breathing in an attempt to control the tears, but a rogue drop still ran down his cheek. His mouth began to tremble. Cathy bowed her head too, in respect. "The deplorable actions of Commander Flynn will soon be brought to justice, trust me. When the time comes, I will let you decide her fate." These words seemed to bring comfort to the pair; revenge was all that Will could think about after all.

"However, there are things we need to catch you up on, and so I need you to listen closely. Particularly you, Will, as I know Cathy will have a vague idea on the real history of our world and the sorry state it is in." The atmosphere in the room became thick, so much so that Lea lifted his feet off the table and placed them on the floor. "The very first thing I would like to make clear to you, is that your abilities are not a horror, nor are they a curse. They are the noble arts of bending. You, Will, you are not a 'Geomancer', you are an Earthbender. And Cathy, you are not a 'Pyromancer', you are a Firebender. These noble spiritual abilities have been in our history for as long as it has existed. Many hundreds of years ago, there was a revolt in the capital of the United republic, Republic City. During this revolt, the Equalist revolution took over the city, and eventually the world. There were small pockets of resistance, but eventually they all fell. Even the avatar disappeared, and has not resurfaced since. Since then, many countries have returned to their old ways, and bending is celebrated as it once was. However, this is one country which has not resumed this stance, in fact it has become even worse, and this is because this country was once Republic City and the surrounding land, and it is the last stronghold for Equalism in the world. However, they are a very powerful force to be reckoned with. Even now, other countries fear involvement."

Lea leant forward in his seat, continuing the story, "We are a small taskforce, known as the Bending Rescue Service, and we are based here in the Benders Haven, but we have many bases across the country. Our main aim is to rescue all those we can from persecution and get them either safely out of the country, or bring them here. We are made of three main groups; The Order of the White Lotus, the group that Masters Kai and Ray belong to, they are tasked to restore balance within the elements, and between benders and non-benders. Then there's the Metal-Bending task force, which is the group I lead. We are tasked with the protection of all citizens, and to rescue anyone when we can. And the final group, who are based elsewhere, are the Kyoshi warriors. They are a reconnaissance group which aim to gather information that could help us to rescue people at risk. Everyone does what they can to help."

"Now I think it is time we explained fully why we have brought you here" Master Ray continued, "Rather than led you out of the country. You see, you both possess incredible heritage, which you are both unaware of, and that must be revealed to you. For you see, it is because of your lineages, that you are the most important people in this war." Ray focused her gaze on Will first, "Will, you are a descendant of the Earth King Bumi, one of the most powerful Earthbenders ever to walk this Earth, and within you is the power to command the earth in ways that you didn't even know possible." Next, Ray turned her attention to Cathy, "Catherine. You are a descendant of the great leaders of the Fire Nation, your bloodline is directly that of Fire Lord Zuko's, the most revered fire bender in bending history. Within you is the power to command both fire and lightning with unstoppable power and resolve."

Both Cathy and Will were stunned. Nobles? This seemed now more like a dream than ever before.

"Tomorrow, Will, you will start Earthbending training with me, and Cathy, you will start Firebending training with Master Manda, another member of the Order of the White Lotus. We understand this is a lot for you to take in, and so now we will lead you to your quarters. Lea shall take Will, and I will take you, Cathy."

"I have a question, first, if you don't mind Master Ray." Cathy spoke out finally, "If I, a Pyro- I mean, a Firebender, can command lightning, then why can Commander Flynn, an Airbender, also command it?"

Ray's expression became perplexed, and she paused for a second before she responded with "This is something me and the other members of the White Lotus shall discuss and research, thank you for raising this point Cathy."

Will's head remained dipped as he threw in one final suggestion. "What if that monster is the Avatar?"

Commander Flynn tore her way through the Central Army Base, heading straight for the General's office. She never got summoned to see him, and when people were they didn't usually leave in one piece. She burst through the door, barely able to contain her frustration. She didn't like being interrupted while she was working.

"What do you want, General? I'm very busy." She barked at him. She was going to make a point, show him who was really in control.

"That's a very strong attitude for someone who can't even retrieve two children." The General half-accused and half-laughed at her. "No Flynn, you are never too busy to be brought to my office. Now tell me, why did you fail?"

"Firstly, I didn't fail, I managed to slaughter a Mancer. And secondly, they escaped because I was ambushed by that fucking Bending Rescue Service." Flynn shouted at her accuser, he wasn't going to put her on trial, not for shit.

"Why should I give you a second chance?" he responded firmly, trying to assert his power. It wasn't working. Flynn was as intimidating as they said she was.

"Because, thanks to a tracking device I managed to place on their van… I have managed to locate their headquarters using our satellites. Can I get back to instructing my troops on invasion tactics now?" Flynn stood tall and crossed her arms, finding it impossible to contain her smug grin. The general merely dismissed her, and she turned furiously on the ball of her foot towards the door. "Oh, and General, next time I see you in this office, I'll be coming to claim it. Along with your badge." She stormed out.

The General could do nothing except wipe the sweat from his brow and swallow saliva to moisten his dry throat. Checkmate.


	6. Chapter 6: Schedule

January 14th

8.30am

She leans back into her chair and lights a cigarette, presses the filter between her lips and takes a deep inhale. She feels the smoke travel down her windpipe and hit the base of her trachea. Her head feels light, it is the first cigarette of the day, and the nicotine is now pulsing through her blood to her brain. She closes her eyes and stretches her back, then exhales a plume of smoke into her office. The smoke swirls and dissipates in the air, save for a few wisps dancing around the bare light bulb hanging from the ceiling. She feels momentary relief, flicks her ash into her ashtray, and takes another drag. She stubs the cigarette out in her ashtray, saves it for later, and looks at the paperwork on her desk.

_What a mess. _She thinks before picking up a ballpoint pen and scrawling her signature across a few of the sheets. _Laborious_.She says to herself as she continues in this manner for a few minutes. Her eyes begin to blur and her head begins to ache. Another migraine, these are a common occurrence of late; the young renegades who have escaped her grasp are a continual headache for her recently. Although she has their location, no one will assign her the troops she needs to raid the hideout without the correct procedures. This is the reason for the paper work. She picks up a glass of water from her scratched mahogany desk and pushes it to her lips. She drinks the cooling liquid and breathes a sigh of relief, before placing it back on the table. She looks at her paper work again and continues, begrudgingly, to sign endless scrawls and pointless details, hoping for an end after each time she removes pen from paper.

January 25th

9.14am

"Maria, can you please fax the complete F-14 booklet to the General for me, thanks" she says into the speaker of her phone, before receiving a compliant "Yes, Commander." and putting down the phone. There are not many people in this world that she had liked, but she liked Maria. She had someone slithered her way in and imprinted herself on her heart. _Heart,_ she muses,_ as if I have one of those._ She picks up the two day old cigarette in her ash tray (She forgot to buy more this morning), clicks her fingers to produce a small flame from her index and relights it. She does her usual lean back, close her eyes, puff and blow the smoke. Again, a wave of relief is washed over her body. She questions herself about the superficiality of this pastime, before shrugging these thoughts as too deep and returning the two risen chair legs to the floor. She receives a call on her phone calling her for duty. She finishes the cigarette before standing and heading out of her door.

12.03pm

The winds swirling around her settle. The unconscious body of her foe slumps onto the pavement before her, a burn etched into the torso exposed through a tear in the shirt. She fixes her beret and looks down at the body. She scalds herself for not generating lightning powerful enough to penetrate deeper than a few layers of skin and pulls the gun from its holster on her thigh. There is a resounding bang as she pulls the trigger, unloading a single bullet between the eyes of her prey. Startled birds take flight, terrified at the sound of the murder. Blood splatters the pavement beneath the body, and a single river trickles down the head. One less mancer, she says to herself. She notices a single, white feather lands in the half-open, stiff palm of the corpse. She whispers something illegible and turns around. "Clean up this mess." She orders her soldiers, whilst walking back to her van. The cold breeze chills the hairs on her neck, so she silences it.

As she steps into the van, she notices the last of the winter snow dissolving into a grey mush beneath her feet. _The freeze is over. _She tells herself.

18.53pm

She removes a dried out wreath from the gravestone and places a fresh one. It is laden with red and orange flowers. Autumn, her favourite colour scale. She sheds a tear and apologises, whispers _I love you_ and turns away. She lights a cigarette using the lighter in her car, rolls down the window and places her hands on the steering wheel. She wipes her eyes on the frayed uniform clothing her upper arm, starts her car and drives away.

February 12th

8.45am

She is late for work. The papers on her desk have bold red lettering printed across them: Denied. She gets angry and slaps the air, a gust of wind flies sideways across the desk and the papers explode across the room, flying in an unsettling manner. She is careful not to scratch her desk, it is mahogany after all. She is angry. She grabs a fluttering sheet she believes to be the assessment sheet and reads it. _Lack of evidence_. She alights her hands and burns the sheet, the ashes scattering throughout the maelstrom. She kicks her chair over and picks up the phone.

The line is in use.

She hears Maria discussing with an unknown secondary voice, normally she would hang up, but she decides to listen in.

_The prison will be lightly guarded on the 16th as there is a ceremony taking place in the main theatre at Porttown and the Shoulders will be moved as extra security, that is your opportunity to strike and retrieve the targets. _Her rage is drowned by anguish. She has been betrayed by the one nearest to her. Her 'heart' sinks into her stomach and her throat swells into a lump. Not her. Not Maria. She slowly places the phone down. She does not want to hear any more.

She storms into the office, a strong draft blasting the room from behind her. _Get out! _She yells. She wants to kill her, she wants to rend her skin and tear her flesh from her bones, but she cannot. She cannot harm Maria. Maria hangs up and stands from her reception desk. She advances on her and screams at her to turn around and leave. She follows a few feet behind her. She plans to turn her into the security.

"I'm sorry, Commander Flynn. I really am." Maria utters in a regretful manner before lifting one arm. She removes the fan from her hair and it's luscious yellow locks flow down her back. She pivots on her left foot and smashes the iron backbone into Flynn's cheekbone. The commander falls on the floor, crying and cursing. Maria turns Flynn over onto her stomach with her foot and whacks the fan across the back of her head.

1.17pm

She is awoken by a security guard.

Maria is gone, and with her, so is the Commander's last shred of restraint.

Her hatred reignites...


	7. Chapter 7: Terra

Shadows flickered across the dull dirt walls as the candle flames danced over the wick. Will bolted upright in his bed, sweat dripping from his forehead and down his neck. Every night was the same, he would close his eyes when exhaustion claimed him and fall into an unsteady sleep. Tossing, turning and waking up periodically. Slumber would be ended at last when he saw the lightning bolt pierce his mother's chest, sparks bursting out and fading on the floor of the van.

He got up, heading towards the wash basin and splashing his face with cold water The cool liquid felt refreshing, waking him up slightly. Will shook his head and pulled his uniform from the closet: since training he had been required to dress appropriately; grey linen trousers, a black, meshed tank top covered by a khaki pullover and donned in a thick brown leather overcoat. The Earthbender pulled on his black workman's boots and headed out of the bedroom door.

"Going somewhere?" A voice echoed throughout the corridor. In his groggy state, Will turned to face Lea, who was advancing towards him in a casual manner. "Shouldn't you be in bed right now?"

"Can't sleep." The trainee Earthbender replied, rubbing his eyes softly. "I was gonna go train."

"Let me come with you," Lea responded, "Its better than tossing rocks on your own, right?" Will nodded.

The two friends stood facing each other in a tall, grand hall. There were several in the temple, each used for the training of a different elemental discipline. In this particular training ground, the main door was guarded by two statues: one of Toph Beifong, heralded as the greatest Earthbender of all time (as well as the founder of metal bending); and to her right a statue of Lin Beifong, Toph's daughter and the martyr who sacrificed her abilities in order to allow Avatar Korra and the last of the Airbenders to escape.

"Does it not intimidate you to stand in the presence of your legacy?" Will shouted, his voice resounding around the hall.

Beifong shrugged. "I don't really think about it. Lets begin." They bowed to each other.

Lea extended his right arm out forcefully, a thick wire released from the coil on his back and darted towards Will. The defender raised his arm and with it a spire extended from the ground. Metal hit earth, the rock crumbled and the wire retracted. It was followed by an arc movement of Lea's left arm, and a second wire shot forward, arching like a whip aiming to slap Will. He responded by raising an extremely dense pillar from the ground which stopped the wire dead, and retaliated by rotating his foot to a sideways angle and stomping on the ground. A sharp rock spear burst through the floor in front of Lea who dived backwards into a crab, narrowly avoiding the spear from driving into his chin. Lea kicked his feet up into a handstand, and with this kicking a shock wave through the ground which sped towards Will.

The defending Earthbender jumped to the left, only to be met with a swift punch in the chest from the wire extending from Lea's arm.

"You're getting better, but you're forgetting the key teaching of earth bending; don't run, stand strong. Earth is the element of resilience."

"Yeah, well I don't feel very 'resilient' right now." Will shouted, spitting blood onto the floor and standing to his feet. The air became icy. Lea sighed, hoping one day he could get through to him.

Maria burst through the door panting, and nursing a bullet-wound on her right arm. She collapsed on the ground.

A small group was crowded around Maria's cot in the infirmary. The Kyoshi warrior was sat upright looking pale, with a bandage around her wound and an IV drip inserted into her wrist.

"Why are you here Maria? What's happened?" Master Ray questioned softly. She had wished to sound more stern, but now was not the time for this.

Maria picked up a glass of water from the table to her side and took a sip to soothe her dry throat before responding, "Commander Flynn overheard me feeding information to the White Lotus, and she came after me. I managed to escape from the Central Army headquarters but I was pursued. I managed to lose them in the sewers, after I was shot... Kyoshi HQ was too far away, so I made my way here." The group remained silent.

"What do you know about Flynn's movements?" the silence was finally broken by Master Keng, the female air leader who had otherwise remained out of the war. They all guessesd she had finally realised how much of a threat this commander, and the government's campaign, really was.

"Flynn has been trying to gain access to the whole army, so that she can raid the Bender's Haven. I've tried as hard as I can to make sure she gets rejected every time, however now i'm not there I can't guarantee she won't. How do you want to play this?"

The group became silent once more, everyone both perplexed and deep in thought. Lea stepped into the infirmary unannounced.

"I suggest to continue with the original plan of assaulting the prison. Now they know our plans, they won't suspect us to actually go through with them, so I can't see there being too much resistance. Also, it would create a diversion which would allow for us to start evacuating the Haven and move everyone out up north, to White Lotus City. If we go in small groups and take separate routes, then we can move everyone successfully."

"Where's White Lotus City?" An additional voice was brought into the already eclectic equation. Cathy strutted in, dropping a lit cigarette into a glass vase. There was a satisfying sizzling sound and a puff of steam. Looks around the room alternated between shock, disgust and irritation. "Well? Isn't anyone going to answer me?"

"Cathy, go back to your quarters, we'll tell you the plan when-" Master Ray snapped, but she was cut off.

"I have every right to be here! For months I've been kept in the dark, literally, down in this false paradise just waiting till I'm 'ready'! If I'm not ready now I'm never going to be. This involves every one of us, and its not just the elite few who get to decide how things work anymore! If I'm going to be used as some kind of weapon in this war then I **deserve** to know how!" Each member of the council stared into Cathy, mouths gaping and awed expressions. They knew she was feisty, but this was something else.

"I agree." Lea chimed in, smiling at Cathy. "This does involve everyone, and an operation as big as this is going to be difficult to pull off. We can't turn away anyone who can help." Cathy smirked. 'I'm glad I'm not the only one.' she thought to herself.

Master Manda sighed, before laying down the foundations of the plan and filling in Cathy. A small, elite team of no more than four would go to the prison, splitting off on their own to find and rescue as many people as they could. Everyone else left over would help move the refugees into trucks and escort said vehicles to the mountains north of Republic City, where a complicated network of caves would take them to another underground city at the base of the mountains: White Lotus City.

"So that's the plan as it stands." Cathy leant against the wall as Will dressed himself. "We're going to the prison to rescue Master Kaatje, and another force is staying..."

"I'm not going to the prison." Will replied coldly as he straightened the collar of his overcoat. Cathy was stunned. An awkward silence hung over the room.

"Why not?"

"I don't want to fight any more. Where has fighting got us?" He turned from his mirror to face his friend. "I don't want to see anyone else lost to this war, so I'm not going to fight. I'm going to protect people."

Cathy sighed, pulling out a packet of cigarettes and drawing two. She stuck one between her lips and handed another to Will. She formed a flame over the index finger on her right hand and they both leaned in to light the sticks.

"Will, there's something I need to tell you." Cathy blurted out. She felt a lump in her stomach. He perked his ears and sat on his bed. Cathy took a drag of her cigarette before continuing. "The reason that I was late that day, the day it all started. I snuck into the police base once it closed, and I searched their files. I hacked into the data base that held a list of all known Mancer- I mean, Benders. When I searched the list I found both our names on there, as well as your mother. I deleted all of our names. As I was leaving I tripped the alarm switch, and before I knew it I was being shot at. And, well... You know the rest."

"What are you saying, Cathy?" Will's voice cracked.

"I'm saying that..." she took a drag on her cigarette and lowered her head. She blew out the smoke and raised her head, staring at the ceiling. She couldn't look at him. "I'm saying that your mother is dead because of my stupidity. And I can't ever expect you to forgive me. I just want you to know that I'm sorry." Cathy shook her head from side to side very slightly.

"None of this is your fault." Again, Cathy was paralyzed. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You tried to protect me and mom, and if you hadn't stepped in they would have come for us all sooner or later. Its not your fault... You didn't kill her." Something about Will's tone was unconvincing, but hearing the words helped. "But now you understand why I don't want to fight, right? If we'd just gone along with Flynn she might still be here so... so..." a single tear escaped from his right eye. "So I'm going to help protect people. I don't want to be an instrument of war. I want to be a shield."

Cathy stubbed out her cigarette on the wall and strode towards her best friend; both were now in tears. She hugged him. "Now you're thinking like an Earthbender."


	8. Chapter 8: Prison Break

The sun emerged, burning the sky blood red. The wind was icy, fiendish. Cathy rubbed her hands together in an attempt to heat them. Feeling silly, she remembered she was a Firebender, and ignited her hands in a controlled flame. Her breath was heavy, she felt ridiculous in her uniform: black sandals and tights, a black robe with a red outline adorned with the symbol of a flame. The symbol of the Fire Nation. Since learning of her heritage, she had been told once the war was over she would return to the Fire Nation as the supreme leader; the Fire Lord. She didn't feel like she deserved such a role. They had requested that she scrape her hair back into a ponytail, but she kept it long; flowing down her neck and over her shoulder pads, resting on her chest. They wouldn't take that from her.

The attack team was small, and they were to be precise. There were three of them; Lea, Cathy, and Master Manda. They had hoped for a fourth, but Will had elected to stay behind and aid the refugee movement. Cathy still couldn't help but respect him for that. There was usually a fuss around the entrance to the mine shaft when missions were set into motion, however this time there was just silence. Nobody wanted to say anything, nobody needed to. They all knew the weight that their subsequent actions carried.

Shortly after, they were joined by Master Ray, and she brought her voice with her.

"Remember, its very important that you break into the prison and get out in the time that you've got. If you linger, the plan will fall apart." She warned, the team nodded solemnly. "Good luck."

Manda stepped into the drivers seat of the white van whilst Lea opened the doors in the back. "Ladies first." He expressed sarcastically, bowing hyperbolically and waving his hand from his front to face the inside of the van.

"Such the gentleman." Cathy sniped from behind an unenthusiastic smile and a raised eyebrow. She expunged the flames from her hands and stepped up into the van. She sat herself down on the cold metal flooring and sighed at the discomfort. 'A cushion wouldn't kill anyone' she thought to herself. There was a clank as the metals on the floor and on Lea's boot sole touched. He set across from Cathy, looking into her eyes briefly before focusing on other things. Any things. Master Ray shut the compartment and light was extinguished, save from a few beams squeezing through the gaps at the bottom of the door. The engine roared into life, the van pushed forward and both benders were jerked to their left. Lea banged his head on the side. Cathy laughed, he shot her a venomous look and she tried to douse her smile by folding her lips. It didn't work.

The journey was awkward. Lea and Cathy had not spent an awful lot of time together, and what little they did they shared with Will who seemed to bridge the gap. Cathy decided to try and break the ice.

"Why is it so important that we do this prison break today?" She uttered, finding no other conversations in her head.

"Today is the day that Sozin's comet passes through our atmosphere. It increases the power of fire bending massively, it becomes superior to every other style of bending." He laughed slightly and looked at Cathy, in the faint light she could make out that his eyes had narrowed and a slight smile had emerged. He leaned forward as if telling a secret, and spoke softly. "Lord Ozai, one of your ancestors, once described it as providing 'The power of a thousand suns'". Cathy drew a cigarette packet from her bra. She pulled one out and returned the packet to its hiding place, then lit it with a flame from her finger.

"Fuck me." She spoke whilst breathing out smoke. "Just how much more powerful does it make fire bending?"

"Let me put it this way. At the end of the hundred year war, moments before Ozai was defeated by Aang, he alone burned a section of the Earth Kingdom to the ground." Cathy laughed, blowing smoke through her nose.

"Well, lets get this prison break under way then shall we."

The van came to a halt seconds before the light seeping into the van turned red. "Let's begin." Lea barked, with a focused look on his face. He kicked the doors open and jumped out. Cathy followed him, and Manda exited the driver's seat last. The group turned their gaze to the sky, which was now almost unbearably bright. A white sphere was gliding slowly on the skyline, trailed by an unimaginably long tail of fire.

The team was stood on a hill, heavily covered by flora: the perfect vantage point. How Master Manda had managed to drive them up there exactly Cathy didn't know. They crouched and observed the prison from their point, taking a moment to absorb the construction before them. Extremely high walls made of concrete segregated the prisoners from the outside world, and several searchlights were aimed at the sky and the area around it. The lights were greatly overpowered now by Sozin's comet. Manda was the first to rise, signalling the other two that it was time to move. Quickly and elegantly they descended down the hill, down the scree and into the coverage surrounding the prison. The strike team managed to get to the wall without interference.

"Things are about to get ugly. Be ready!" Lea said, before raising his leg and kicking the stone wall directly. A rectangular section fell inwards towards the prison, kicking up a dust storm and reverberating a penetrating crashing sound. The three leapt forward, catching the guards off balance. Lea launched two wires from his suit, wrapping them around two guards and slamming them together. They dropped onto the ground unconscious.

Cathy rolled forward and punched forward a fireball: it's size overwhelmed her; a projectile the size of a small house rocketed forward, blasting a group of guards through the air and slamming them into the walls on the opposite side. Two guards ran towards the prison door, but they were stopped dead in their tracks as an arc of lightning jumped from one to the other. Just enough to knock them out, but not kill them. Manda's control of her lightning, even when enhanced by the comet, was astounding. Lea tore the steel gate in twine and allowed the two women to pass through before jumping through himself.

"From here, I'll go to the central control room alone. I'll disable the locks on the cell block containing Master Kaatje, you two make for there and get her out. And remember, she's with her sister who is heavily pregnant, be patient." Lea nodded to them, and ran off to his left and up a flight of stairs. Sounds of gunshots echoed throughout the hall, followed by the cries of incapacitated soldiers. Cathy and Manda charged straight forward down the hall, bursting through steel shutters with enhanced fire bending.

As they exploded through the blast door to the prison blick, a formation of soldiers arranged up in front of them; five knelt down and five stood behind them. All were wielding assault rifles. "Put your hands in the air and don't move, or else we'll shoot."

"As you wish." Cathy uttered cockily. She raised her hands, holding them above her for a few brief seconds before bringing them down in a cross before her; flames burst forward before her, filling the volume of the corridor and erupting out onto the soldiers. They screamed and yelled as their clothes singed and their flesh burned. They were driven backwards, slamming and rolling into the ground.

"Cathy, a bit of control please." Manda scalded as she stepped forward. Several melted bullets steamed on the floor, they'd tried to fire shots. To no avail. "Come on, Lea should be just about finished clearing up the control room." Right as she finished her sentence, a resounding clicking bounced throughout the prison ward as doors unlocked. Prisoners cheered and raced out to freedom; several benders blasting the roof with fire, earth and air. The two fire benders pushed against the crowd, checking the empty cells for signs of Kaatje and her pregnant sister.

Hope diminished as each cell seemed emptier than the last before they discovered her in the lest cell in the ward. Kaatje was cradling her sister, who seemed to be in pain. Manda immediately ran to her aid with Cathy not far behind. "You have to get to your feet, we need to get you out of here. Pull yourself together Kinnara!" Manda encouraged, helping the pregnant woman to her feet with the aid of her sister. The rioting seemed to be far in the distance now, gunshots and elements slung could be heard in the background. The two older women carried Kinnara, while Cathy walked slowly behind them.

"Well this is touching. But I'm afraid you're not going anywhere." Cathy pivoted to see Captain Flynn. She gritted her teeth before launching a huge stream of flame against their opposer. Cathy was having no bullshit today.

"Go! I'll meet you back at the vantage point!" Manda nodded and proceeded to go for the door at the end of the corridor, Kinnara's arms draped around the shoulders of herself and Kaatje.

"Where do you think you're going?" Flynn spat angrily as she leapt forward and dragged a sheet of air from behind her back. She pushed it towards the escaping trio, Cathy intercepted it with a wall of flame. The harsh flames danced and disappated as the air brushed over it. "I see. Very well then, if that's how you want to play it. I'll have to move you." The Captain jumped shallowly into the air and slowly span around on her descent; the air around her whipped up then cascaded outwards down the corridor from every direction. The Firebender was pushed back a few inches from the initial buffet of the wind, but managed to pivot on her back foot and kick the other in front of her; an arc of fire was formed from her leg and ejected towards Flynn who gracefully dodged it by bending backwards into a crab-shape and kicking herself back to her feet.

Fire and air clashed repeatedly, both benders fighting desperately to hold their ground. Neither had managed to land a hit on the other; the walls were scorched by flame and the ceiling was scarred by wind. In a last ditch attempt, Cathy inhaled deeply and exhaled violently. Like a dragon, white-hot flamed burst from her mouth and filled the entire volume of the corridor. The Fire Nation Royal controlled these flames, circling them around the defending Commander rapidly.

Flynn wrapped herself in a sphere of wind, rapidly cycling the currents and trying to prevent the fire from breaking her. The flames burned harder and the pressure increased, beads of sweat erupted from the Captain's skin as the sphere shrank and the impossibly hot flames grew ever closer to her face. She had not wanted to reveal this, but she had no choice. The rotation ceased, quicker than the blink of an eye Flynn clapped her hand and pushed them in front of her. She split her hands and threw them to her sides; blue flames burst from her body and forced the offending fire upwards and outwards. Both fires, white and blue, vanished into smoke.

The intense heat from the flames had melted the iron prison cell bars into an orange liquid, dripping from the ceiling into accumulating puddles on the ground. Both women stood exhausted, panting, and clawing from breath. At this rate the heat exposure would kill them both before they did. Footsteps echoed throughout the hall from behind Cathy, the General of the Republic City army burst through the door as she turned to get a better look, two soldiers either side of him and three behind him. Each wielding assault rifles. She had been flanked. This was it.

Or so she thought. Without warning Flynn stepped forward and expelled a bolt of lightning that arced around Cathy and pierced the General's chest. From there it bounced from soldier to soldier, their screams fighting to be heard over the immense thunderclap that resonated inside the prison with a roar. The girl was awe struck, she could not absorb what had just happened. Flynn collected a compressed ball of air in her hands and threw it with vigor at the wall behind her. The screech was almost unbearable as it tore through the thick metal wall. Movement stopped, the sphere exploded, and a gargantuan hole was ripped open in the wall. Light from the comet flooded the coridor with an orange/red hue.

The commander, with her back turned and a long sillhouette cast beneath and behind, turned her head slightly. "I have not done you a kindness." she uttered calmly. Too calmly. "That man has been in my way for a very long time, and I promised him that I would take his life and his badge. Because you provided me with the distraction I needed to get his attention I will allow you to escape. But know this," Her tone deepened and slowed, eyes narrow and manor threatening. "You will still die by my hand."

As Cathy ran for the fissure in the wall, Flynn punched the air behind her and propelled her out into the open air. The force from the gale was enough to project her right over the wall, and she steadied her landing by pushing two jets of flame from her palms to the floor. She landed into a dodge roll and ran towards the meeting point with what little energy she had left. As she arrived at the van, she was immediately bear-hugged by Manda, scalded for being so rash, and forced into the passanger seat as the Firebending Master switched the ignition and hit the peddle.

"The others are safe in the back. You'd better get some sleep, you've done better than I ever could have imagined. A true firebending Master." Manda awarded, a small smile peeking from the corners of her mouth.

"Is Lea in the back too?"

No response.

Dripping metal cast a heat-haze in the utterly obliterated corridor. The commander steadily pushed herself towards the bodies of the General and his elite men. Not that elite, she thought to herself. "I told you I would destroy you." were the last words she whispered into his ear before more soldiers arrived. Flynn feigned injury and told them Cathy had escaped out of the hole. A final figure emerged in front of the Commander. This one commanded her to her feet, commended her on her attempts to prevent the prison break and save the General's life.

This final figure, donned entirely in black and hidden behind a mask, promoted her to General.

Checkmate.


	9. Chapter 9: Avatar

Lea awoke in a daze, his vision blurred and the light offensive. For a few seconds, everything felt muffled to him. The talking – or shouting – going on before him wasn't registering in his mind, but the pain woke him up. The Metalbending captain's feet were in a bucket of ice water and he was bound to a wooden chair: his hands behind his back and his feet together in the bucket. Methodically after the shouting he would feel a burst of electricity conduct through his uniform and onto his skin, burning through him. But not enough to kill him. He woke up to the reality that he was being tortured.

Before being captured, he had found his way into the archives at the prison. On the computer database he had stumbled on lots of extremely important (and classified) information, some things that shocked even him. As he tried to leave he had been frozen in his tracks, he couldn't move, his body wasn't his own. Lea's struggling had met an end when he was thrown against the wall by nothing, he hit his head and everything from there was blank.

That would explain where the pain in his head came from. After recalling these events to himself, he was aware of his situation now. He looked up, the light no longer burning his eyes, and saw General Flynn stood before him. She was the one shouting at him.

"I'm getting impatient. I'll ask you again. What did you find in the archives?" Lea didn't respond, simply smiled and looked at her. Flynn discharged a spark of lightning into the bucket and the Metalbender convulsed in agony. "What did you find?!" Lea spat at her face, it hit her in the eye. 'Bullseye', he thought to himself.

Flynn calmly wiped off the saliva and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "Well that was impolite." Flynn raised her right hand and the water dragged its way up the metal casing on Lea's shins and carried on towards his knees. It froze when it reached and suddenly everything was very cold. "Trust me. I can get very creative. Tell me what you found out."

Holding his jaw tightly to cover the chattering, he opened his mouth to speak. "I'll tell you what I found, if you answer me one question."

"I'm not playing any games, mancer. Tell me what you found."

"Very well. But I'm still going to have my fun and answer your question with a question. Were you aware that Amon, his campaign, and this whole damn government is a lie?" Flynn didn't answer. She was interested now. He continued. "In those archives, I learned that the Amon family line is a bending line. I learned that our Amon is a Waterbender whose family originates from the Northern Water Tribe at the north pole. Did you know that the Amon who started the revolution was a Waterbender?"

The general was stunned silent. She wasn't sure how to take this information. How could he be a Waterbender? This little shit must be lying, she told herself. The water thawed and retracted back into the bucket.

"Oh, I'm not done yet. Were you also aware that as a child you were experimented on? Our Amon found you when you were born, ripped you from your parents and faked your execution? That little girl killed in the video they're all forced to watch every day of their god damn lives is you, you are the avatar, Flynn. When you were a child Amon sealed your abilities in hopes of preventing you from ever fighting against us. He wanted to see if it would work. It is for that reason your powers never showed, and that is the reason why your powers burst forth at a later date. That is the reason why Ellie is dead."

Flynn was beside herself now. She turned her back on Lea and put her hand over her mouth. He must have been lying, he was trying to manipulate her. But how could he know about Ellie? He couldn't. Confusion turned her head into a hurricane, and she briefly lost her focus. That was enough. Lea bent the edges of his wrist and shin guards into blades and cut through the rope. A swift motion, he launched the bucket at her head with a blow from the point of his foot. It struck Flynn on the back of her head, knocking her forward and dazing her briefly. The metalbender jumped over her and darted out.

The General struggled to her feet, holding herself up. An injured soldier limped towards her, muttering the words 'He got away...' before collapsing over.

..

Refugees scuffled through the dirt walls of the escape tunnels, clinging to the few belongings they had brought with them. 'Pack light' they were told, and they did. This wasn't the first time they'd been on the run, they knew the score. Take only what you need, anything else was superfluous. Children clung to their mothers trying not to get lost. A nervous chorus echoed lowly from the walls, it was a sorry sight to see so many people ripped from the closest place they had ever had to a safe home. Dotted amongst the fearful crowd were operatives from the Metalbending task force, The White Lotus and a small number of Kyoshi warriors.

Two days had ellapsed since the assault on the prison. There had been no retaliation. No public announcement. No word at all. Everyone had asserted Will that no news was good news, but he was not convinced. Lea still hadn't returned, and Cathy couldn't look the Earthbender in the eye since. They had distanced somewhat and he felt totally alone.

Will stood by the entrance to the tunnel, making sure everyone got in safely. He was accompanied by Maria, now garbed in her full Kyoshi warrior attire; her hair up and held together with a fan, her face powdered white, red eye-shadow and defined eyebrows, black lips and a green robe. A gunstrap around her thigh and a radio in her hand, she spoke periodically into it as groups of refugees made it through the network. It was a long day, stood there for hours upon end just waiting. The iridescent light from the LED lanterns began to burn Will's eyes, every now and then he would blink hard to rest his eyes. He sighed as the last few refugees scuttled in. He stretched his arms and yawned, nodding to Maria he moved towards the opening of the cave.

Beep.

Maria stuck out her arm in front of her, perked her ears and raised her head.

Beep. Beep.

She turned around, staring at the clearing, then at the cave entrance.

Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep!

The ground shook and the roofing spat out dust as an explosion resonated from deep within the cave tunnel harbouring the refugees. A seemingly never-ending silence was drowned with the screams of the benders, trapped within the structure. Will and Maria charged in, masking the airborne dust with their hands, coughing heavily. They reached the collapse in seconds. Will frantically began tearing the rocks down, trying to break through. He could make out a faint voice on the other side of the rubble.

"Mr Will!" Cried the voice. It was clearly male, quite deep. The young Earthbender couldn't make out who it was, to his dismay.

"Is anyone hurt?!" he yelled in desperation. Could _she_ have planned everything this far ahead?! He yelled to himself; who would have access to the Haven? How could this be happening?

"No, we're all fine! I think its a trap, they're not coming after us! Be careful!" With that final line, echoing footsteps marked the end of the conversation.

Bang.

A gunshot was fired from inside the belly of the tunnel behind them – the only way from the Haven to the escape route - flying between the guardians and into the rubble. Will and Maria darted forward, hiding at either side of the tunnel entrance walls. The Kyoshi warrior drew her handgun and slowly reared her head round, peering into the hallway. A second gunshot. She drew her head back quickly as a bullet slammed the dirt wall. Looking at Will, she spat "Burrow through the walls and get them from behind. I'll distract them from here." He nodded, taking a few paces to his left, raising his hands and bringing them down slowly. The dirt wall sunk into the ground and he took a step forward.

"Good luck." He choked out. This time he'd get it right, he wouldn't lose anyone.

"Yeah. You too." Maria replied, a forced smile painted on her face to hide the fear.

Will took another step into the wall and he was out of her sight. Deep breath. Crouch. Go!

Maria jumped sideways, pointing her gun down the tunnel. She had two magazines plus the one in her handgun. Eighteen shots. They would count. The first opposing bullet flew past her head, she fired back on the same trajectory. A scream. One down. A second skimmed her right leg and she clenched her teeth, then retaliated. A scream. Two Down. She rolled as she landed on the opposite side of the tunnel wall.

..

Will burrowed as quickly as he could, pulling the earth down gently as to not alert the soldiers. A surprise attack was their only chance. He bent the clods as stealthily as he could, picking up the pace. He would make it in time. He had to. His boots caked in dirt, he carried on. 'Hold on Maria. Just hold on.'

..

Four rolls, five bullets left. She had taken down a significant number of them, but more seemed to replace them. She couldn't keep this up, she was running out of options. One final roll, back to Will's side and into the tunnel. Put the tunnel back up and get the hell out of there. She could do it. She knelt down and pushed herself off with her right foot. Flying through the air, she unleashed her final five bullets in a blind rage. Three screams, two misses.

"DON'T YOU DARE SHOOT HER, I WILL KILL YOU IF YOU SHOOT HER!" Will? No. A female voice. An authoritative voice that boomed through the tunnel and shook the walls. However it was too late. Instinct had kicked in. The trigger had been pulled. The pullet raced through the corridor, Maria's chest the target.

Bullseye.

In through the chest. Out through the back. A clean shot. Maria fell from the air and rolled across the ground, whimpering.

Flynn saw red. Rage erupted from her like lava from a volcano, she flung her arms open and sent out a wave of air in every direction. Soldiers slammed against the walls; some died as their heads' cracked against them. Others were rendered unconscious. How DARE they attack Maria. She belonged to Flynn. She was HERS, and she was going to forgive her.

..

Will burst out from his burrow and into the main tunnel, ready for a fight. But there wasn't one. Soldiers lay unconscious on the ground, bleeding onto it. Then he saw _her_. She was cradling Maria's body, whispering to her. His immediate reaction was assault, that Flynn had done this to her. He jumped forward and punched the ground, splitting it in twain. The schism travelled along the dirt and towards Flynn, holding Maria as her life bled away. She merely raised her head, and the earth stopped moving. The General slowly lay her friend on the ground, and stood tall. Her eyes glowing blue, she merely raised her arm and a dense ball of air exploded forward; the wind filled the earthen corridor and blasted Will back. His back slammed hard against a turn in the tunnel, and he blacked out. The last word he uttered before everything went dark was

"Cathy..."

..

In a blind rage, burning through the avatar state, Flynn laid ruin to the Haven. Carrying Maria over her shoulder, she ripped down the buildings and burned the halls. She fell friend and foe alike. They were all the same. All responsible. She flooded homes, battered the temple, and tore down the statues of the great heroes. Aang, Katara, Toph, Soka, Zuko, Kora and Lin all fell before her. She screamed in anger as the towers, erected from the ground to the roof, were torn and scattered. The tunnels collapsed. She drew in all of the air around her into a sphere around her and prepared to explode it. She would die, and she would take this whole damned place with her.

"Flynn... please... please stop..." The dying warrior on her back whispered. The blue light faded from Flynn's eyes, and the air dissipated. "Please... just leave... let's just leave..." The General could not argue. She built the air beneath herself and raised herself up with a platform. She heard Maria's final breath, and everything became heavy. The platform broke beneath her, and Maria slipped out of her grasp. She watched her friend fall as she fell herself. As her eyes slipped shut – she was so tired – she made out a wire. It wrapped around Maria and pulled her away. Into the grasp of another.

Into _his_ grasp.

Lea caught the falling Maria and disappeared into the bruised temple. A lightning bolt shot from behind the door. Flynn pushed herself away at the last minute, and landed on her feet. "Give her back to me. Give her back right now. She's not yours! GIVE HER BACK!" She screamed frantically and desperately as she ran into the temple behind her assailants. She would get back her property.

..

Will awoke and brushed the rubble off himself. He stood dazed for a few seconds as everything came back to him. As his memory returned, he found himself running towards the temple.

And how he ran.


	10. Chapter 10: Last Agni Kai

General Flynn imploded the doors and burst through the training grounds. One hand tightly gripping her pistol and the other support the arm, her expression foretold death. Cathy stood on the opposite side of the hall, a cigarette in her mouth, the smoke rising. She could feel her throat lumping and her heartbeat racing. "Give her back to me. Give her back to me or so help me I will torch you until there's nothing left but ashes!" She flicked the safety off and pressed her finger on the trigger. Everything had come down to this moment. Flynn stared her target, adrenaline flooding her senses. Fuelling her rage.

"I won't let you pass. You've burned our last safe haven, you've toppled our culture, and now it's time for you to pay! You will never see her again. You won't visit her grave. You won't be at the funeral. " Cathy screamed. She placed her feet slightly apart and her hands before her; her left behind her right.

Flynn just laughed. "You're hilarious. But whatever." She sighed, "Lets settle this. The showdown that was always meant to be. Agni Kai!" Her tone became serious, her eyes deadlocked and her smile gone. Cathy took a deep breath. 'This is it'. Flynn flicked the safety catch and stowed her pistol.

"You're on!" She shouts back. Flynn laughed again.

Flynn took a step forward on her right foot and pushed her hand out forward, then followed this with a spinning kick, and again, and then a punch. Each assault sent an unimaginably hot burst of blue fire racing towards her target. Fire fuelled by her hatred. Cathy knelt forward and swung her wrists together, shooting her own flames. The two heat sources exploded in the centre of the arena as they collided, blasting out a shockwave. The flames dissipated, and through the smoke Cathy could make out a pillar of blue fire. Flynn launched herself into the air and flipped, kicking her leg out. As she hit the ground, the column collapsed over her head and towards Cathy. The defending Firebender sheathed herself in orange flame; again, the fires clashed and diffused into smoke.

The Firebender and the Avatar both punched the air before them. Two jets of flame shot forward and crashed together, a pillar erupting to the grand ceiling from where they met. Cathy focused her flame to her right, and it burst through the blue flame. Flynn dived to the left and pushed herself into the air once more. This time she stayed there, elevating herself with two jets of blue fire bent from the soles of her feet. With one hand she span the wind around her body, creating a tornado shield, and with the other she pulled chunks of earth from the ceiling and threw them at her opponent. Cathy rolled forward to dodge the first chunk, punching the second above her head with a focused, fiery punch: cracking it in twain. After this, she jumped to a standing position and inhaled deeply. As she exhaled, a huge, spherical blast of fire emerged from her mouth; aiming straight for the bubble.

As the blast grew closer, Flynn pulled two chunks of rock from the ceiling with each hand and shielded herself above them. The blast exploded against the rock, shattering it into shards of shrapnel speeding rapidly towards the Avatar. She defended herself with a flat blade of extremely dense air; but the rock blast broke through; she managed to angle herself to dodge them but lost her momentum. The avatar hurtled towards the ground, saving herself from a messy end with a pillow of thick air.

Cathy cloaked her arms with fire and extended them forward: tendrils of fire burst forth, angled for the Avatar; who responded with a huge, dragon shaped flame jet bursting from her palm. The blue dragon flame enveloped the tendrils and charged straight for the level-headed Firebender. Cathy surrounded herself in a circle of flame, raised the edges as the dragon came for her and pushed them outwards; both flames were cancelled out.

Will burst through the door behind Flynn's back, panting and ready for a fight. Cathy saw this from the peripheral of her vision, and smirked. Flynn could barely handle her, she wouldn't be able to take them both. Not as they were.

"No lightning today?" Cathy taunted. "What's the matter? Afraid you'll lose control and get burned?" Victory was in sight.

Or so she thought. Flynn had noticed too, that the door behind her had been breached. "Oh," she laughed, "I'll show you lightning!" She pointed her finger before her and swiped, as if pulling the lightning from the air itself. Her body was cloaked in an aura of white-blue light, and she smiled. She swivelled to face her new victim, and pulled her gun from it's holster with an electrified hand. She aimed it at Will, who's eyes widened as he stared into the darkness of the barrel: the darkness of the end.

"NO!" Cathy yelled, running forward and punching the air violently and repeatedly. The flames mostly flew straight past her, but a final, desperate stream passed right next to Flynn's head; a lone flicker jumping out and burning her ear. Instantly she reacted, spinning her body round once more and grabbing her ear with her free hand. The gun's focus had now changed.

For Will, that moment had frozen in time. Cathy stands submissively, her jet black hair is blowing as if powered by a strong wind. A smile is painted on her face. Tears rolling from her eyes. "I love you, Will." She lets out. Flynn pulls the trigger. An electrified bullet bursts through the air, leaving a trail of sparks behind it. It enters Cathy's stomach and she raises her arms, forks of lightnin redirecting at the roof from her fingertips. The bullet exits her back. She falls to the ground, still smiling.

Flynn threw her gun on the ground, the barrel burned and warped. She turned to Will, still covering her burned ear, blood running down the side of her cheek. She pulled liquid out of a waterskin on her belt and ground her teeth as she splashed it over her ear; holding it over the wound in a dome. She closed her eyes as the pain began to seep away. Will completely froze, his emotions ravaged him body like a storm: pain, anguish, sorrow, rage. Revenge. As if controlled by a force outside his own control, he began to advance upon the woman who had caused him so much pain.

"It's too late." She said softly. She sounded exhausted. "It's over."

"No, its not. It won't ever be over. Not while you're still breathing. I told myself I would never again take a life. But you... The world needs to be rid of you. The world needs to heal."

Will raised his fist and punched the arena floor. The earth churned violently in a line accelerating towards Flynn. She rolled to her right and pushed jets of flame out from her feet; hastily she burst towards Will. She punched twice, gushing out torrents of flame towards the defender. Will crouched and pushed himself into the air, propelled by a pillar of earth. The blue flames shattered the pillar into shards or earth, which Will redirected towards his enemy. Flynn extinguished the flames on her feet and dove into a ring of air. The air acted as a tailwind, shooting her forward, after which she rolled onto her feet.

As the Earthbender landed on the ground, he discharged a shock wave across the surface of the ground. Flynn once again ejected flame from her feet, skating towards her target. Will kicked high; an obelisk of earth erupted from the ground ahead of the Avatar. She skirted to the left just as he had planned, and he seized his opportunity. He crashed the obelisk in front of her and she tripped, slamming face first into the ground. Flynn pulled herself up, grunting aggressively. She rose to her feet and pivoted on the spot, she was erected into the air on the tip of a cyclone. A gale detonated from the base of the tornado and thrust Will towards the statue of Lin. He crashed into it and it collapsed over him.

Flynn banished the cyclone and progressed on foot towards the pile of rubble, noticing Will's unconscious body twitching through an exposed arm.

"Well, it was a nice try. Let's finish this the way it started."

There was a thwipping of wire, Flynn felt a cold wrap of metal compress her ribs. She was lifted into the air and thrown into the wall. The Avatar pulled herself to her feet once more. She didn't know how much more she could take. Her vision flickering and hazy, she could make out the figure she had first assaulted. Lea slouched as the wire rewound into the casing on his back.

"You won't be hurting anyone any more." He released the wire straight at Flynn's head. Just before it cleft open her head, she caught it with her hand. She pulled herself up using the wire and deadlocked her sights onto Lea. Flynn was through with words. With one hand she clamped onto the wire, and moved the other in an arc shape. Sparks leapt around her fingers. The Avatar now grabbed the wire with her electrified hand, channelling the lightning down the wire.

Will stirred, the white-blue light piercing through his eyes into his mind. He pushed the rubble off his body and tried to stand to his feet, but he couldn't. He struggled forwards, pulling himself through the dirt in his fingernails. He felt someone lift him to his feet, his vision to misty to see who. They wrapped a blanket around his shoulders.

The bending masters had arrived in the scarred hall. Master Ray had torn the walls of the hall asunder and unleashed their wrath upon Flynn. Master Manda grabbed the wire as the sparks menacingly charged towards Lea; she caught the lightning and re-channelled it back at Flynn. She was struck in the shoulder. As she tried to push herself towards the roof on a tornado, Master Keng disaggregated and banished the winds. When she tried to ascend out on a pillar of earth, Master Ray crumbled it beneath her feet. Out of options, she turned for the walls and ran.

Master Kaatje put an end to this. She stepped forward, removing her soft touch from Will's shoulders. She raised her arms and stopped Flynn in her tracks; the Avatar lost all control of her movements; every muscle clenched.

Blood bending.

The Waterbender turned her victim around and levitated her towards the centre of the room. She began to twist Flynn's limbs at horrible angles. Her muscles tore, her fingers snapped, her toes broken. She dropped her on the floor on her knees, hands together. "I'm not going to kill you. That's not our way. But you shall not use bending to harm another person ever again." Kaatje placed her right hand on Flynn's shoulder and her left thumb on her forehead. Flynn let out a breath of air and closed her eyes.

"Thank you... For making me human again." she whispered, relieved. She fell forward, fading into the recesses of her mind.

"You'll never be human." Kaatje responded, weighed down heavily by what she had been driven to do.

Will ran forward hysterically, screaming Cathy's name. He picked her up from the pool of her own blood. He could barely walk himself, but he carried her in his arms. He was sobbing as he hobbled towards the door. All he could say was that he was sorry.

Neither Lea, nor the Masters, had the heart to tell him that she had already slipped away.


End file.
